Osaka at night

Magnificent moat

I was really, really impressed by Osaka Castle, particularly the surrounding water and wall, or what is called the moat.

While Osaka Castle belonged to, and was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who almost ruled all of Japan in the 16th century (Osaka may have become the capital), the castle was ironically taken over and further strengthened by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord who conquered Toyotomi and effectively moved the center of politics from the west to the east of Japan (in Tokyo) in 1603.

Tokugawa ordered the western lords to complete the construction of the castle in order to financially weaken them and strengthen the Osaka Castle as a fortress to ward off any attacks from the south (Kyushu).

Tenshukaku is the main castle where the lord may or may not have lived. It was built to show off the power of the samurai lord but had less practical use. Accordingly with the map of Osaka Castle, invaders will have a tough time reaching the main castle as the whole area looks like a great maze with 90 degree angles everywhere so that the invaders cannot speed up (a little comical).

Kitano Ijinkan in Kobe

I visited an area in Kobe called Kitano Ijinkan or the first Western houses in Japan, mostly built right after the Kobe Port reopened in 1868. There were 200 of these houses then, of which 60 still remain and 20 can be visited. Old houses are always charming no matter, but these really beautifully match the scenery of Kobe. This one is called Moegi House, resided by a U.S. consul general back in the day.


Uroko no ie, aka the Fishscale House sits at the highest point overlooking the Kobe Bay. Over time, this was occupied by different delegates from Portugal and Germany. Interesting to see pictures from those days when Japan could have possibly become another colony...


We stopped by a shrine with very pretty plum trees that have started to blossom.


Finally, we had tea at a Starbucks that occupied a real Kitano house from the past. It was definitely the coolest Starbucks ever.

Arima hotspring

This is one of the oldest and most well known hot springs in Japan. It was indeed a lovely little village with cute shops and spectacular food.


I didn't know that Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the samurai lord who almost unified Japan out of Osaka in the 16th century used to come here with Sennorikyu, who established and formalized Japanese tea ceremony. Apparently they were buddies!